Flexible containers of plastics have heretofore been used in the field of medicine which have a plurality of chambers, and partition means dividing the container into the chambers and permitting communication between the chambers. Since such a container is likely to permit penetration of moisture or gas even if in a very small amount, there arises a need to place the container, along with a desiccant, into an expensive outer bag having barrier properties against moisture and gas when the container is used for separately preserving an antibiotic or like medicinal which is hygroscopic and becomes unstable with time, and a liquid preparation such as physiological saline, glucose or like solution or dilution. Nevertheless, the desiccant, which absorbs water from the liquid preparation, fails to fully dry up the hygroscopic medicinal and further causes concentration of the liquid preparation. Because of this drawback, it has not been practice to preserve the hygroscopic and unstable antibiotic or like medicinal and the liquid preparation as separately accommodated in the flexible container of plastics.
For this reason, medicinals, such as antibiotics, which become unstable with time are preserved in moisture- and gas-impermeable vials or like containers before use. When to be administered to the patient, the medicinal is mixed or diluted with, or dissolved in, physiological saline, glucose solution or like dissolving liquid or diluent which is preserved separately.
However, this method is cumbersome to practice and involves the hazard of contamination with bacteria during the handling procedure. Containers have therefore been developed which comprise a glass vial having enclosed therein an unstable antibiotic and a dissolving liquid-containing flexible container portion of plastics joined to the vial in combination therewith, with a piercing needle provided therebetween (see, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication HEI 2-1277). These containers have the advantage that the contents can be mixed together with ease aseptically, whereas difficulties are encountered in discarding the container because a very complicated procedure is needed for separating the container into the glass vial, flexible container portion and piercing implement for disposal. Thus, the container has a problem as the disposal of medical wastes which has attracted attention presently, i.e., the problem of failing to fulfill the requirement of easy disposal.
Also known are containers having a plurality of chambers for accommodating other medicinal which is readily oxidizable, such as amino acid solution containing tryptophan, and a sugar or electrolytic solution (see, for example, Examined Japanese Patent Publication SHO 63-20550). The container of this type must be preserved as placed in an expensive moisture- and gas-barrier outer bag together with an oxygen absorber. In this case, the latter preparation (sugar or electrolyte solution) on which the absorber need not act is also accommodated in the outer bag along with the medicinal. The outer bag therefore requires a larger capacity, an oxygen absorber having an increased capacity to absorb oxygen or an increased amount of absorber, and a larger amount of moisture- and gas-barrier material, hence the drawback of an increased cost.